Amino Acid Biostimulants and Irrigation Impacts on Water Use Efficiency and Residual Water Management in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Production
摘要
Efficient water management and the use of biostimulants are emerging as sustainable approaches to enhance crop productivity under conditions of decreasing water availability. A 2-year field experiment was conducted during the rabi seasons of 2014–2015 and 2015–2016 at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, to evaluate the effects of irrigation schedules and amino acid biostimulants (AAB) on water use efficiency (WUE), residual soil moisture content (RSMC), growth and yield of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with three irrigation schedules as main-plot treatments: three irrigations (I1), four irrigations (I2) and five irrigations (I3), and four AAB treatments as sub-plot treatments: control (A0), animal-based (Aa), plant-based (Ap), and mixed amino acid formulation (Am). Foliar sprays of AAB were applied three times during crop growth. Plant growth parameters, tuber yield, WUE and RSMC at different depths were recorded. The results revealed that irrigation schedules and AAB treatments significantly influenced potato growth, yield, WUE and soil moisture retention. The four-irrigation schedule (I2) produced the highest tuber yield (23.06 and 22.62 t ha−1) and WUE (115.05 and 93.16 kg ha−1 mm−1) during Trials 1 and 2, respectively. Among the biostimulants, the plant-based formulation (Ap) consistently recorded the highest yield (23.90 and 23.42 t ha−1) and WUE (119.25 and 96.48 kg ha−1 mm−1), followed by the mixed and animal-based formulations. The interaction treatment I2Ap resulted in the maximum yield (25.57 and 24.13 t ha−1) and WUE (127.57 and 99.41 kg ha−1 mm−1) in the respective years. Residual soil moisture content increased with irrigation frequency and AAB application, with the highest moisture retention observed under I3Ap in the 0–30 cm soil layer. Improved soil moisture availability enhanced nutrient uptake, plant growth and physiological processes, contributing to higher productivity and WUE. The study demonstrates that integrating a four-irrigation schedule with plant-based amino acid biostimulants is an effective strategy for improving potato yield, WUE and RSMC in Inceptisols of the Indo-Gangetic Plains, thereby supporting sustainable potato production under limited water resources.
Graphical AbstractA graphical abstract illustrating the sustainable utilisation of organic waste for biostimulants production and its application to improve residual soil moisture and WUE.